Branston in a pickle over weather

FOOD Branston Pickle to Oxo stock cubes firm Premier Foods said sales in April had been hit by the unusually hot spring weather. While Premier left growth expectations for the year unchanged, it said last month had been tough for the business, with recently acquired brands such as Bisto gravy and Paxo stuffing among those suffering.

FOOD Branston Pickle to Oxo stock cubes firm Premier Foods said sales in April had been hit by the unusually hot spring weather.

While Premier left growth expectations for the year unchanged, it said last month had been tough for the business, with recently acquired brands such as Bisto gravy and Paxo stuffing among those suffering.

Premier added that the integration of the RHM business it bought earlier this year was going to plan, with £85m of cost savings still targeted.

The £1.2bn deal for Mr Kipling to Bisto firm RHM made Premier the UK's largest food supplier - ahead of Mars , Nestlé and Northern Foods . It added to last summer's £460m acquisition of the UK arm of Campbell's Soup .

Premier said in a statement that it had "significantly reduced" the decline in sales that Campbell's portfolio was experiencing before its acquisition.

Trading profits were impacted by the increase in wheat prices in the autumn and softer trading in the Bisto brands arm, due to an extended period of warm weather last year.

However, Mr Kipling cakes continued to recover, while the market share of Hovis had returned to former levels after facing price-cuts and promotions from rival brand Kingsmill .